Alisa Weilerstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alisa Weilerstein |
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Weilerstein in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Born | April 14, 1982 Rochester, New York, US |
| Genres | Classical |
| Instruments | Cello |
Alisa Weilerstein (born April 14, 1982) is a talented American classical cellist. She plays the cello, a large string instrument that makes beautiful, deep sounds. In 2011, she received a special award called a MacArthur Fellow, sometimes called a "genius grant," for her amazing musical skills.
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Life and Career
Alisa Weilerstein grew up in Rochester, New York. She started playing the cello when she was only four years old! When she was 13, she performed for the first time with a big orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra. She played a piece by Tchaikovsky called Variations on a Rococo Theme.
Since then, Alisa has played as a solo artist with many major orchestras. She has performed all over the world, on four different continents. She also enjoys playing chamber music, which is music for a small group of instruments. She often performs with her parents, who are also musicians. Her father, Donald Weilerstein, plays the violin, and her mother, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, plays the piano. Together, they are known as the Weilerstein Trio. Her brother, Joshua Weilerstein, is also a violinist and conductor. Alisa is married to conductor Rafael Payare, and they have two daughters.
Awards and Education
Alisa has received many honors for her music. In 2000–01, she won an Avery Fisher Career Grant. This award helps young musicians start their careers. She was also chosen for special programs for young artists.
In 2004, Alisa graduated from Columbia University in New York City. She earned a degree in Russian history. In 2006, she won the Leonard Bernstein Prize at a music festival. Then, in 2011, she received the famous MacArthur Foundation "genius grant." This grant is given to people who show extraordinary creativity and talent.
Playing New Music
Alisa Weilerstein loves to play new music by living composers. She has worked closely with composers like Osvaldo Golijov, Lera Auerbach, and Joseph Hallman. She has performed their new pieces for the first time in concerts. For example, she played Golijov's Cello Concerto "Azul" in New York. She also played the world premiere of Auerbach's "24 Preludes for Cello and Piano."
In 2016, she performed a new cello concerto called Outscape by Pascal Dusapin. She played it with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, she played another new cello concerto, "un despertar," by Matthias Pintscher, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Alisa plays a special cello made in 1730 by Domenico Montagnana.
Recent Projects
In 2023, Alisa started an exciting concert series called "FRAGMENTS." This series has six parts and features solo cello performances. It combines 27 brand new pieces of music with the famous solo cello suites by Bach. These concerts are designed to be a special experience for the audience.
Discography
Alisa Weilerstein has recorded many albums. Here are some of them:
- Brahms Cello Sonatas with Inon Barnatan, PENTATONE (2024)
- Beethoven Cello Sonatas, PENTATONE (2022)
- Bach Cello Suites, PENTATONE (2020)
- Old Souls – Chamber Music for Flute and Strings with Gili Schwarzman, Guy Braunstein, Amihai Grosz, Susanna Yoko Henkel (2019)
- Transfigured Night: Haydn & Schönberg. Alisa Weilerstein, Trondheim Soloists. PENTATONE (2018).
- Alisa Weilerstein, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek (Cond.): Dvořák Cello Concerto (Decca)
- Alisa Weilerstein, Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim (Cond): Edward Elgar Cello Concerto op. 85, Elliott Carter Cello Concerto, Max Bruch Kol Nidrei op. 47 (Decca)
- Alisa Weilerstein Solo: Zoltán Kodály Sonata op. 8, Osvaldo Golijov Omaramor, Gaspar Cassadó Suite per violoncello, Bright Sheng Seven Tunes Heard in China (Decca)
See also
In Spanish: Alisa Weilerstein para niños
